Policy 1427 - Shared Sick Leave Program

Effective Date: 9/24/1999

Responsible Office: Department of Human Resources

Reference: Board of Supervisors (Rules) - University of Louisiana System

Definitions

Shared Sick Leave is leave hours donated by faculty and/or unclassified staff into
a shared sick leave pool to be used by fellow faculty and/or unclassified staff who
are suffering from their own serious health condition which has caused or is likely
to cause the employee to take leave without pay or to terminate employment. Unclassified
employees may irrevocably donate sick leave to the shared leave pool.

Serious Health Condition (Family Medical Leave Act) is an illness, impairment, physical or mental condition,
or injury caused by a serious accident on or off the job, that involves:

Any period of incapacity or treatment in connection with or consequent to inpatient
care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care
facility;

Any period of incapacity requiring absence from work, school, or other regular daily
activities of more than three calendar days, that also involved continuing treatment
by (or under supervision of) a health care provider; or

Continuing treating by (or under supervision of) a health care provider for a chronic
or long-term health condition that is incurable or so serious that, if not treated,
would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three calendar days; or
for prenatal care.
Voluntary or cosmetic treatments (such as most treatment for orthodontia or acne)
that are not medically necessary are not “serious health conditions,” unless inpatient
hospital care is required. Restorative dental surgery after an accident, or removal
of cancerous growths are serious health conditions provided all the other conditions
are met (1, 2, or 3). Treatment for allergies or stress, or for substance abuse, are
serious health conditions if all conditions are met (1, 2, or 3). Prenatal care is
included as a serious health condition. Routine preventive physical examinations are
excluded.

Shared Leave for Faculty and Unclassified Staff

Shared leave shall be applied for by the employee and may be taken only when approved
by the review committee and the campus president or his/her designee. The supervising
health care provider must provide written documentation of the need for leave. The
review committee may choose to require an opinion from another health care provider,
especially for extended leaves.

To be eligible to participate in the Shared Sick Leave Program, an employee shall:

Be a full-time faculty or unclassified staff member who is eligible to earn sick leave,

Have completed at least:

One academic year of service with the institution if employed on an academic year
basis, or

One fiscal year of service with the institution if employed on a 12-month basis,

Have made a contribution to the shared leave pool as a prerequisite to applying to
use leave from the pool, and

Have used all his/her sick, annual, and compensatory leave before requesting sick
leave from the pool.

Participants shall retain three sick days at all times for personal use. Employees
shall not be permitted to donate to the program if they have less than 3 days (24
hours) of sick leave.

Employees who use leave from the pool shall not be expected to pay it back.

Donations shall come from “sick” and not “annual” leave reserves.

Donations shall only be allowed to the Shared Sick Leave Program pool and not to an
individual. It is suggested that campuses address the process of granting leaves as
well as what will occur if the leave pool runs low.

Campuses shall limit the number of days an employee can draw from the Program to 22
days (176 hours) per calendar or fiscal year and limited to 100 days per employee.
The intent of the policy is to assist an employee’s return to the workplace, not substitute
for a long-term disability insurance policy.

Days shall be transferred from the pool as used.

Employees receiving workers compensation or benefits from a long-term disability insurance
policy are not eligible to participate.

This policy (and any policies adopted by campuses subsequent to this policy) shall
not create a legal entitlement. Particular decisions to grant shared leave will be
made at the campus level. If a university chooses to end its shared leave bank, any
accrued leave would either be returned to active employees on a pro rata basis or
would continue to be used through the bank until depleted.

Review Committee

A review committee shall be appointed by the campus president to recommend approval/disapproval
of requests for leave under the Shared Sick Leave Program.

It is suggested that membership on the review committee shall be proportional to the
participation by faculty and unclassified staff.